I do love the government

[cold_nostalgia]

First the ID cards, now this.  *sigh*

I mean there's a good chance this won't happen given how unpopular Labour are at the moment.   This idiotic idea would make them even more unelectable, if that's even possible.  The problem is I just don't think that there'll be much in the way of opposition other than basic lip service, nor do I see any other party scraping the idea, if and when, they come into power. They all resemble each other too much these days for that to happen.

Round or square holes for the mice indeed.  2+2=5.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go off and start practicing for the Two Minutes of Hate.

 

 

 

Comments

[aeka.livejournal.com]

While the idea in itself sounds good, at the same time it sounds futile. There is no way in hell that one central database that stores calling information is going to be able to combat terrorism and crime if it doesn't store the content as well.

But even so, people in the UK would see this as an invasion of privacy and rightfully so. But in a world that has become as violent and as unstable as it has, who really has much of a choice these days? Lately our governments seem to be pushing for extremes as well. Either we keep everyone safe by invading your privacy, or we allow them to continue to blow us up when we least expect it as a price for keeping it.

Yay for absolute polarity!

[cold-nostalgia.livejournal.com]

The world has always been, and always will be, a unstable and violent place. Whether it comes in the form of terrorism or if it happens to come in the form of a group of thugs at the end of the street. That's a given.

I don't trust the government with this power. Not only that, but I honestly don't believe it'll stop there. We've already got a silly amount of street cameras, police can detain suspects without charge for a stupid amount of time, ID cards are going to be issued - when is it going to end?

It's a slippery slope, and maybe I'm being paranoid, but I really don't think it'll end there. It's always something else.

We might not be renaming ourselves Airstrip One anytime soon, but the parallels are there.

[sapphistscot.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's quite a terrifying prospect. Big Brother indeed, only with less nauseating excuses for television.

If this actually gets enforced, and I bloody well hope it doesn't, then what's the bet that in five years time there's a massive scandal when the personal mobile phone and internet usage details for, say, the entire population of Wales gets lost because some government twit dropped the memory stick it was stored on. (for completely kosher statistical analysis reasons, obviously)

This is almost as dumb as Alex Salmond's "ZOMG SCOTLAND COULD TOTALLY BE INDEPENDENT, PLEASE GIVE US A BILLION POUNDS TO PROP UP OUR ECONOMY" argument...

[cold-nostalgia.livejournal.com]

Five years? You are waaaaay too generous. Knowing that lot, I give it six months tops. ;)

[stinglikeabee.livejournal.com]

O.M.G.

Because really, the Government is sure to take good care of the stored information. /sarcasm

How is it that some fool can leave classified information pertaining to international terrorism on the train? Or the missing CDs holding information on millions of child benefit records. And if the Labour government dare say 'this time it's different', I'll be eating my hat.

As for ID cards, I'm actually in favour. I view my ID card as important as my passport (which I think more people should have). In the case of identity theft, I think it's a good idea to have additional proof of your identity (not everyone has access to their original birth certificates, for instance). On the other, it IS very Big Brother. Countries like Malaysia, which makes every citizen make ID cards when they reach the age of 12, do so in order to gain information for political purposes (the IDs have your ethnicity and religion on them). It has the potential to be a good idea, but also to be horribly abused.

[cold-nostalgia.livejournal.com]

Word. They are so incompetent they couldn't organise a piss-up at a brewery.

One of my main problems with the ID card is mainly to do with the cost. Considering that the NHS and the education system are screaming for extra money right now, it seems like such a waste. There's also the incompetence factor to consider before we get to anything else.

We've managed fine this far without them, and a little piece of plastic is not going to stop a terrorist blowing up a building. It's a complete waste of time and money. Granted, there's plenty of countries that have them and have no problems, but they've had them for a long time and I'm sure the 'to-protect-our-citizens-from-the-mad-bastard-terrorists' excuse didn't really come up.

The reasoning for it has me ever so slightly peeved as well.

[stinglikeabee.livejournal.com]

We've managed fine this far without them, and a little piece of plastic is not going to stop a terrorist blowing up a building.

I agree with this point. The ID card shouldn't be a solution for or a tool against terrorism. It should be what it says on the tin, a form of secure identification. And from what I've heard from the news, I don't think the UK needs an ID card at all. It seems more about creating a database with everyone's information than about national security.

The US however, with 50 state IDs and a bloated federal government that cannot effectively prevent or reduce fraud, could really use a national ID card. It is extremely possible to create false identities and ID cards in some states, and thus claim state benefits that way (or as some sinisterly suggest, vote in the upcoming election). Unfortunately this only became especially popular with the rise of using Mexican labourers for scapegoating (let's build a wall along the border with Mexico!). It was also briefly touched upon after the revelations of the Twin Towers attackers obtaining fake state IDs to assist in their preparations. It wouldn't serve the purpose of defeating terrorists, but a national ID would eliminate plenty of gaping holes in proving identification.

[cold-nostalgia.livejournal.com]

Totally. And what's worse is that they're really not trying that to hide that little fact. It's just far too transparent.

I can certainly see the attraction of a national ID card in a country the size of the United States. I can imagine it would get rid of a lot of red tape and some forgeries as well. Problem is, more often than not, with centralisation comes the opportunity for some spectacular screw ups.